Don't Forget
by scarlettstones
Summary: After time-traveling to 1918 and coming back to the present, Bella thinks her time-travel is over for the moment, but it seems that it's far from that ever since landing in 13th century Scandinavia for a past life that she never expects to live again. With a terrifying cycle that happens with every past life she lives, can she ever break it? Sequel to It's Time.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys, so welcome to the sequel of It's Time! Time-traveling Norse Princess Bella meets Russian Prince Edward— are you guys ready?**

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><p><em>The prince exchanged a few words between his men and dismissed them, leaving me and him alone in the forest. I started to fidget under the prince's gaze as Fenrisúlfr was grinding his teeth in annoyance at the grey-spotted horse in front of him.<em>

_He said something in Russian to me and I closed my eyes in exasperation since I couldn't understand what he was saying._

_"Speak. Norse." I pressed my lips together and opened my eyes to look at him with dismay. I gasped when I finally took a good look at him. "Edward?" I gasped._

Edward frowned. "I'm afraid you've pronounced my name wrongly." He said smoothly in Norse and not in Russian.

I cocked an eyebrow. "What?"

"It's Edvard." He corrected.

"No... Wait, _what_?" I stared at his in disbelief. "Wait, shit, oh god."

"Have your parents taught you never to curse?" He raised his eyebrows in question.

"Of course they have, it's just something that slips out once in a while," I snapped. "Your name's Edvard?"

"Yes it is." He nodded, looking me up and down. "And you don't seem to be a... peasant."

"Because I'm not." At least in this life. "I'm a princess."

"Are we invading your village? My apologies if we are—"

"I'm a princess. From another kingdom." I quickly said.

"What is your name?" He asked.

I racked my brain for what Jane (or Johanna, since I couldn't really get over the fact that Jane had that for a name) called me and replied, "Liselotte."

Liselotte was such a weird name for me, and the fact that the name seemed so far from my actual name Bella was even more bizarre. Did Liselotte have the same meaning as my full name Isabella? If it had, then I would have understood. At least Edward's name never really changed that much like mine. My name in this life was horrible.

"Why, Princess Liselotte, would you be away from your kingdom, unless you have something to do?" Edward asked.

"I... I'm running away." I told him without a thought. "I was going to get married to some man I didn't know."

"And who's that?"

"I told you, I don't know him."

He sighed. "Very well then. I'm the Tsarevich of the Russian Empire, Edvard. I'm the oldest son of my father who rules the Russian Empire."

"And so... you're bound to be the next ruler?" I asked. "Why are you invading this part of Scandinavia?"

"To expand the Empire. My men & I are going to invade the next kingdom tomorrow. After that, I will sail back home the next week." He said.

"You won't... invade my father's kingdom, will you? I don't really know where it is, but I assume it's from the East according to where I ran from." I looked down at Fenrisúlfr, my black horse, who was starting to kick up a big fuss.

"I won't, I promise." Edward nodded. "Well, it was nice to meet you. I wish you well for your travels."

He turned around and started to walk away from me, but I blurted out, "Wait. You won't mind if I follow you until you leave next week, will you?"

He looked up at me in shock. "Princess, I didn't really think you'd want to—"

"So does that mean I can follow? And seriously, don't make assumptions so fast. Of course I'd like to follow you."

"I don't think you can."

"Why?" I said more forcefully. "Is it because I'm a lady? Is it because I can't fight? That I'll be dead weight to you and your men? A distraction?"

Edward looked at me with a dead serious expression. "I'm sorry, but I won't let you."

"Oh, for freak's sake! This is dumb! Just let me follow and I won't disturb you!" I hissed.

"Alright, fine." He sighed exasperatedly.

Fenrisúlfr moved to the side of Edward's horse and we followed Edward. "One more thing; don't... call me Liselotte. I prefer Bella." I told him. "How old are you?"

"I am twenty-four years of age. I turned twenty-four this summer." He replied. "How about you?"

I didn't know how old I was in this life, but I just replied, "Seventeen. I turn eighteen this... fall."

"Lisel— _Bella_, why do you insist on coming with me?"

How was I supposed to explain that? That he was my boyfriend in the present? That he was my husband that I lost to Spanish Flu in 1918? That I was a time-traveler who travels to my past lives and he'd always be my soulmate? Dammit, this was one of the disadvantages of time-traveling.

"I have no idea on where to go next. I'll probably settle into a village somewhere, but I haven't had human contact for days. I think it'd be nice to surround myself with people for a few days." I lied.

"But why... me? I'm raiding a village of your neighboring kingdom. Your parents would probably declare war on me because I have you."

"You're making it sound too dramatic. Don't." I told him. "So where are we going?"

"We're going to a small village we've invaded just a few weeks ago. It's empty, so it's been our headquarters ever since."

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><p>"Our poor Edvard has abandoned his search for a wife even before we came here to Scandinavia. Apparently, he prefers girls who don't just sit there and look pretty!" Emmett, who was one of Edward's most trusted men, slurred as he got drunk. The smell of vodka stung my nose and eyes. I recognized Emmett from 1918 since he came for Edward's funeral with Rosalie. So far, for the hours that I've personally known him, he knew when to be solemn and the ultimate joker. With his huge built, it was easy to see why Edward had him in his army of men. Surprisingly, his name hadn't changed and neither did Jasper's.<p>

I was sitting at a super long dining table set outside in the middle of the village houses with the remainder of men after dinner. I helped a lot by making apple pie, and it was probably the biggest pie I had ever made. Most of the men whom I've met have gone back into the empty houses to get ready for bed. I was sitting at the corner of the table, beside Edward who was sitting at the furthermost end of it. Emmett & Jasper, who I didn't expect to see in this life, was sitting together with us.

"Yeah, well, wives who just do that are rather ugly on the inside," Edward replied Emmett.

"I've met those kind of girls before," I said. "They're bitchy whores who'd sleep with pig-headed men for cash."

The men at the table paused what they were doing and Emmett surprisingly stopped his guffaws. They stared at me in shock.

I just smiled politely and raised up my wine glass, pretending that I didn't just say the most number of vulgarities I have ever said in a sentence. I wasn't one for cursing, to be honest. "Cheers." I said, then drank my red wine up.

Edward cleared his throat. "Is there anymore dessert?"

"Oh yes," I stood up from my chair to grab the plate of apple pie I had made for dessert that was far away from us, "there's still plenty."

"Thank you." Edward smiled at me and I couldn't help but blush. I passed to him the plate of apple pie so that he could cut his own portion. He passed the remainder to me and I ate some too. After eating the pie, I was about to pick up my glass to drink, but it was empty. I frowned at it until Edward took the glass from me. "I'll take some more wine for you."

"Thanks." I muttered as he stood up from his chair to walk to the other end where there was the wine bottle.

"Hey Jasper," Emmett leaned backwards towards Jasper's ear while he looked at me, "don't you think Edvard should marry Liselotte?"

"Are you serious?" I arched an eyebrow. "You're gonna talk about me in front of me?"

"Why not?" Emmett smiled. "So what do you think?"

"Why do you ask me? What do _you_ guys think?" I asked, chuckling.

"Honestly, it's time for him to settle down. I'm already married to his sister and Emmett's married to his cousin. Almost every man at his age in Russia are married. It's time he does too." Jasper told me.

It was pretty interesting to hear what they were thinking, though. I smiled a little as I picked up an apple pie crumb to eat it. When Edward came back, everyone went silent, but none of what we said was forgotten.

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><p>"Well, damn," Edward frowned as he realized there wasn't anymore empty houses for me to sleep in. We were standing outside the house where he had been sleeping in for the past few weeks.<p>

"Seriously, what's so wrong about me sleeping under the same roof as you?" I asked.

"It's inappropriate for a lady to sleep in a bachelor's home, married or not."

I rolled my eyes. "So what?"

"Do you want another reason?" He asked, irritated. "There's only one room with a bed."

"Your reasons do not do justice to me. And you suck at it. Do you give reasons like that all the time?" I laughed in disbelief as I pushed past him and opened the main door. I looked for the room with a bed and started to settle in it.

Edward followed after me and watched me as I unpacked my items. "What are you doing?"

"What do you _think_ I'm doing?"

"This is my room. You can't just barge into the house."

"Actually, it's someone else's room that you're staying in, since this village was actually occupied, including this house. Whoever lived in this house before you was a total tool for only putting one bed, but now I'm a guest so you gotta give the bed to me."

"But I've been sleeping here for the past few weeks and that means that I'm the host and I decide were you sleep." Edward retorted.

I sighed, exasperated. I stood up straight, turning to face him and my arms were folded. "Where do you suggest I can sleep at?" I challenged.

He ran his hand through his hair and looked around. "You can sleep near the fireplace in the family room."

"There's no bed there."

"You don't need a bed."

"I've been riding on a horse non-stop for weeks. I _need_ a bed." I insisted.

"Well, I need a bed too. I'm going to pull another kingdom into my country's empire tomorrow." He replied, fighting strong.

"Then how do we settle this?" I gave him a steely glare.

He walked over to the bed and lined up one pillow in the middle of it. "We'll share the bed, but this will divide it."

I took a white nightdress from my bag and walked out of the room to change and came back to see Edward already in the bed. He was sleeping on the left side of the bed, his shirt off with the blanket halfway up his abdomen. I watched him for a moment as his chest rose and fell and smiled to myself. It had been a long time since I shared a bed with him, and I missed waking up with him next to me during those days in 1918.

I got into bed and stared up at the roof made out of sticks, then closed my eyes and steadied my breaths. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Princess." I heard him murmur.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So I got excited and quickly worked on the next chapter. A lot of things happen in this chapter, which is why it's kinda long. Cliffhanger warning, though!**

**xx**

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><p>"Am I following?" I asked with my bow and arrows in my hands. I was all geared up and even bathed Fenrisúlfr thoroughly for the invasion. Well, the only problem was my dress though.<p>

Edward stared at me with a look of disbelief and then shook his head. "No way."

"What?" I widened my eyes. "Oh come on!"

"I can't risk you dying. I won't let you come with us."

"Why?" I cried. "I have a bow and arrows!"

"But the question is, do you know how to shoot?" He cocked an eyebrow as he fully faced me, his arms crossed. "If you can shoot, I'll let you come. Deal?"

I had never shot with bow and arrows before, so when I heard what he said, my face changed. "Okay, fine! I don't know how to shoot!" I admitted.

"Then you can at least stay here and watch out for any intruders— since we have you, I can have my total amount of men following me." Edward replied. Someone knocked repeatedly on our door and shouted out some words in Russian that I didn't understand. Edward sighed. "It's time for breakfast."

He went out first and I stayed in for a while as I removed my bow and arrows and laid them aside. Another time, I thought.

"Where's the Princess?" I heard Emmett ask Edward right outside the door. "Where did she sleep?"

"Go away," Edward said, exasperated.

"I know that look." Emmett's light tone became teasing and I could imagine the wide grin on his face which he wore throughout last night. "Did she sleep with you last night?"

"No."

"Liar!"

Edward sighed. "We slept in the same bed but nothing happened. There wasn't an empty house that she could use."

"And so you decided to give her some _hospitality_? How was it?" Emmett laughed.

That was when I decided to come out of the house. Their eyes were on me as I smiled politely, as if I wasn't going to say something crude.

"His hammer was small. Frankly didn't pleasure me as much as I thought it would. Very disappointing." I said.

Emmett's jaw dropped in shock and Edward's eyes widened as he realized what I'd said. They clearly wasn't expecting me to say that, but I continued smiling and walked away.

"You both will miss breakfast." I told them. "Wouldn't want to get hungry in the middle of a fight, would you?"

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><p>By the time everyone was finished with breakfast, they were ready to take off to their intended destination. I gave one of my runestones that I had found in my bag a few days ago to Edward.<p>

He stared down at it in his palm. "What is it?"

"It's a sign for good luck, so that when you're in danger, there'll be something that turns your bad luck around." I told him, smiling. I could read the runestones since it was in Norse and in this life my brain was hard wired to Norse language.

"This is perfect," he replied, smiling back. "Thank you."

"The only way you can thank me is by proving that this rune works. I want you back safe. If you aren't back by tomorrow morning, I'm coming after you." I told him, closing his palm around the rune stone. I continued to hold his hand as I sighed. "Be safe."

He kissed my forehead. "I will." He wrapped his arms around me and I leaned my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. I remembered a time when that heartbeat was faltering as he died in my arms back in 1918. My breath hitched as that whole scene played in my mind and I just kissed Edward on the cheek and stepped back from him.

"Go." I hid my pain with a forced smile. "But make sure you come back."

"I'll see you soon," he said back and turned away to get on his gray-spotted horse. As I watched him go with his men, I felt like the wife of a fisherman— never knowing when Edward was coming back, never knowing if he's going to get hurt, and never knowing if that was the last time that I was ever going to see him in this life.

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><p>I waited and my heart grew tighter.<p>

I had nothing much to do and there wasn't an outsider who came into the village, since it was basically located in the middle of nowhere. All I did was pluck edible fruits and vegetables for my meals and played songs that I could remember in my head, but nothing could drown my worries even for a second.

I slept in an empty bed for the night on Edward's side and I tossed and turned, failing to fall asleep even when Edward's scent was still there. I stared up at the roof and suddenly, I felt my heart stop for a moment. Something was _definitely_ wrong.

It didn't take me even a minute to grab a dagger that was lying around, placing it in my bag with a shirt of Edward's. I got on board Fenrisúlfr. I had heard that horses could follow trails if there are scents of what they're searching for, so I had to let Fenrisúlfr sniffle on Edward's shirt a little.

He nudged it and I combed his mane with my fingers. "Yes, good boy." I cooed, before putting back the shirt inside the bag. He started nuzzling the ground for Edward's scent and moved forward as he started to get used to the smell.

Soon, he was galloping fast as he took in the trail Edward had left behind and after an hour, we stopped in front of a scene that looked like it came out of a movie full of gore. Bodies covered in blood were strewn all over the place and some even had their body parts torn off from their bodies in the clearing. My eyes widened as I took in the place and feared that Edward was among one of those men killed here.

"Edvard?" I shouted. Fenrisúlfr started sniffing around for Edward and so far, he didn't find anything until I heard groans and murmurs from inside the other side of the clearing. I caught a glimpse of bronze hair and shouted his name again.

"Bella?" Edward rubbed the back of his neck with his arm. The other arm was bloody. "What are you doing here? How did you find us?"

I glanced at the men who were sitting around, leaning against the trees as they rested. Some of them were injured, but my primary attention was on Edward. "I was worried, and Fenrisúlfr managed to track down your scent." I replied. "What happened?"

"Someone pierced an arrow into my arm," he winced.

I got off my horse immediately and ran to him, holding the affected arm gingerly. I examined it a little before tearing away a long piece of his shirt and wrapping the cloth around his arm tightly. "That'll do for now. I need to wash it and then the cloth has to be changed." I told him. "Can you still ride your horse?"

He nodded. "Yeah, going back sounds like a good idea. Come on." He stood up by himself and walked over to where my black stallion and his white and gray horse was grazing at. Jasper helped Edward with the mounting on his horse, but other than that, he was fine.

Once we reached the abandoned village we've been staying at, I helped Edward get off his horse and we got into the house. I had a tub of water and a towel so that I could wash his wounds. We sat near the fireplace since it as the only source of warmth for the cold night. I dipped the towel into the tub and removed the bloodied cloth around Edward's arm. He winced and I bit my lip.

"Hopefully, this one's nothing serious." I told him. I wiped the wound with the wet towel and sighed in relief. "You're lucky this arrow didn't go through your arm. If it did, it would have left a nasty wound to clean."

"Bella, can you do me a favor?" He asked.

"Well, that depends." I told him.

"You don't mind washing my body, do you?"

I raised my eyebrows. "What?"

He shook his head, taking a deep breath. "Never mind."

"Edvard, that's okay." I smiled and washed the towel again before asking Edward to remove his shirt. As he did, I could see all the smooth sculpted planes highlighted on his chest. I moved the towel from his shoulder to his chest to his abs and I could feel them clench under my touch. I dipped the towel into the tub of water again and washed his smooth back from the back of his neck down to the middle of his back.

I stood up and threw the towel into the tub, picking it up. "I think we're done here." I finally said, smiling and walked out the house.

I steadied my short breaths and closed my eyes for a while as I emptied the tub. Just looking at him and cleaning his wounds was probably the most intimate thing we've done for these past few days, and I was ready to grab him by the sides of his face, kiss him senseless and... probably do things that I wasn't supposed to do in this era before I was married.

I was starting to get a headache and I headed back inside. I decided that I was definitely going to sleep in a different room than Edward that night. He was still sitting in front of the fireplace, his eyes glazed over as he thought about something. I just stood there for a moment, not sure what I should say. I was pretty sure he'd be happy that he wouldn't need to share the bed for once.

I cleared my throat. "Edvard, I'm—"

"Bella," his head snapped up and he stood, looking at me as he was caught off guard.

"I...," I took a deep breath. "I just wanted to say something."

"Me too." Edward pursed his lips as he frowned. "Why don't you start first?"

"Uhm, okay. Well I'm gonna go sleep here near the fireplace for tonight. And maybe for the rest of the nights here."

He looked bemused for a moment. "What? Why?"

"I just... Never mind." I gave up on talking. "What did you want to say again?"

"It's regarding next week, when I'm going back to Russia..." He trailed off.

"And?" I prompted.

"I want you to come with me."

It was my turn to be confused. Why the hell did he want me to come with him? Unless—

"Marry me, Bella."

I widened my eyes. "_What_?" I gasped in shock.

"I like you, and I want to marry you."

My eyes grew larger. "What the hell is _wrong_ with you? _Nobody_ gets married to someone they've just met two days ago! Are you... cuckoo in the head?" I rambled.

"Am I supposed to take that as a no?" Edward asked slowly.

"Ugh!" I groaned, digging my fingers into my hair. "I don't know! I just... Nobody just asks a stranger whether they want to marry them. Probably in this era it's normal but, as you can see I'm not... exactly normal so I don't know... Ask me a few days later."

"I don't think I can wait for a few days, no." He shook his head, then came closer to me. I stood rooted to the ground, not sure how to react. "You need to give me an answer. Now, please."

I took a deep breath and only said one of the few Russian words I had learned. "_Da_."

In a swift move, he grabbed the sides of my face and kissed me unexpectedly. I stood there, shell-shocked. I couldn't register everything since it happened so fast. The way he kissed me was gentle and soft, and I could see that he was trying to hold back in so many emotions. I wasn't an empath, but the way he felt almost knocked me off my feet. His thumbs was stroking the outlines of my cheekbones as his fingers threaded with my hair.

When I started to faintly register that he was kissing me, my past experiences of kissing Edward played before me as I closed my eyes— my first kiss with Edward in 1918, my last kiss to him when he was lifeless in my arms in the same era, my first time kissing Present-Day Edward at the doorstep of Heidi & Jane's house and that time in the airport when I was heading back to Forks. I realized that I was never going to stop having first kisses with him, as long as I time-traveled. He'd always be there, wherever I go.

I pressed my palms against his sculpted chest, kissing him back. He pulled away and I laughed.

"So... what was that for?" I questioned.

"That was for saying yes... and probably saying a word in Russian in front of me for the first time." He replied. "Once we're in Russia, we'll hold the wedding in this big chapel that every member of my family has gotten married in."

"How long would we being sailing until Russia?" I asked.

"If the winds are in our favor, it can be as short as three days. Five days, maximum." He told me. "I don't think—"

Violent, urgent knocks on the door made us jump a little. It was still probably four in the morning, and I didn't expect other people to be awake.

Edward frowned at the door. "Bella, can you please go to the bedroom first?"

I hesitated, but complied. Edward opened the door slightly and I assumed it was just one of his men who needed to tell something as soon as possible. They both talked in Russian and I slowed down my pace towards the bedroom to at least catch a gist of what was happening, even if I could speak Russian. I was picking up on some words over the past few days surrounded by these friendly, vodka-enjoying Russians.

When I saw Edward closing the door, I quickly made my way to the bed and pretended to fall asleep. He came through the door and tucked my hair behind my ear. "Bella, I know you're awake. There's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" I opened my eyes and stared into his green orbs.

"There's an army of soldiers outside, and they're looking for you."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okayyyy, so I apologize for the late update, but I hope I'm making it up to you enough by writing 2,715 words for this chapter. My hands are dying. I'm crying so hard because Taylor Swift's _1989_ album is coming out in less than 12 hours. I'm fine, you ask? *sniffles* NO! *cries* I MIGHT BE OKAY BUT I'M NOT FINE AT ALL BECAUSE OF TAYLOR SWIFT AND THE HEART ATTACKS SHE GIVE ME.**

***wipes away tears and unsightly snot from nose* I apologize for being very unprofessional towards you guys. My feels cannot be stopped. Being a fangirl to many fandoms (including Taylor Swift's) is a difficult but very satisfying life but I take pride in it so yeah.**

**Anyways, cliffhanger alert. Again.**

**xx**

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><p>I took a big gulp before sliding open the curtains a little. I needed to see if this army of soldiers were led by someone I knew, and this person was definitely someone I knew. I closed the curtains shut as I caught a glimpse of him and his recognizable mustache. Edward looked at me curiously. "It's my father." I responded quickly.<p>

"Why is he here?"

"I ran away, remember?" I told him. "I think he's looking for me because he wants me to come back, but I'm _so_ not marrying someone I don't know."

"Then you don't need to come out. We can just say that you aren't around and that we've never seen you." Edward replied.

I shook my head. "I think I'll at least just tell my father about our engagement. Hopefully he'll listen."

He hesitated for a second but unwillingly gave in. He gave me one swift kiss on the lips and held my hand as we walked out of the house. I hid behind him a little and looked at the row of intimidating men that accompanied my father on a white horse. Did his name change too? I wasn't sure.

"Liselotte," my father said, "we've been looking for you."

"Yeah, well, obviously I ran away for a reason." I told him.

"What for?" He prompted.

"I didn't want to marry... whoever it was." I replied simply. "I don't even know who he is."

There was uncomfortable silence settled between both sides— me & Edward and my father & his men. I fidgeted a little and wished that I could just sink into the ground. Charlie just eyed Edward with an unreadable look on his face. "And who is this young man?" He finally asked.

"I'm the Tsarevich of the Russia Empire, Edvard. I'm the prince of my father's empire." Edward spoke in smooth fluent Norse just like he always had to me.

"Oh?" Charlie raised his eyebrows. "How did you learn how to speak Norse?"

"My grandmother was from Scandinavia, and she taught me Norse." Edward explained.

"Father, why are you here? I don't want to come back." I spoke up as I watched our conversation digress.

Charlie looked back at me. "Liselotte—"

"I won't come back. I'm not changing my mind." I repeated.

"Why would you not come back?"

"Edvard, I'm sorry if anything happens to you after I confess to him about what happened half an hour ago." I whispered in his ear.

"What?" He frowned at me.

"Father, Edvard & I are getting married." I ignored Edward.

Charlie's eyes widened in shock which then turned into anger. Whoops. "Without my consent?" He said all too calmly.

"Father, I'm sorry about that but we... feel the same about each other and I don't think I can even be apart from him!" I tried to reason.

"But you're my only child," Charlie sighed, anger fading from his face.

"Okay, then all I'm asking is for your consent. Your blessing. That's all I'm asking for so that we can proceed with the marriage." I told him.

He hesitated. "Your mother wouldn't like this if I told her that she won't even meet her own future son-in-law."

"Is that a yes?" I questioned.

"Not so fast, young lady." He warned, then got off his horse. He walked towards us as I thought he was going to do yank my arm as bring me back to the kingdom I never knew. "Edvard, how do you feel about my daughter?" He asked out of the blue.

"I will protect her at all costs. If anything affects her, it will affect me. She's my world." Edward replied instantly.

I widened my eyes and stared at Edward. "Do you really mean that?" I asked softly.

"Of course I do," He gave me his signature crooked smile.

"You're too slick. You deserve a thousand kisses for that once we go back in." I ruffled his hair a little, resisting the urge to hug him endlessly.

Charlie cleared his throat and he caught our attention again. I blushed deeply as Edward just looked unaffected as if Charlie wasn't even here.

"I'm not giving my blessings yet, but I expect Liselotte to be back home by morning and you to come over too. It'll be nice to know what my wife will think of you before I say anything." Charlie grumbled to Edward.

Edward nodded. "Yes sir."

"Now, if you don't mind, I can finally come back home without having to bat an eye in my sleep." He replied. "I will see you two at the castle by morning."

"Yes, Father," I curtsied a little since I at least learnt how to greet people due to the period dramas I had watched over the years. Edward bowed halfway before Charlie made his way back to his horse and nodded one last time at us in acknowledgement before riding into the woods with his men.

When we finally couldn't see anyone else, I gave Edward an awkward look. "We're meeting my parents soon." I stated the obvious as I looked at him.

He chuckled a little and glanced at the house. "We should get some sleep. There's still time until sunrise." He pressed his lips into a thin line tiredly and we walked back to the house with nothing else to say.

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><p>There was a series of swift and rowdy knocks on the main door and since I was sleeping out in the family room, I was the one most affected by it. I woke up out of irritation and groaned, punching my pillow and standing up, stretching out the kinks in my leg muscles. As soon as I opened the door, I was greeted with a mop of short blonde curls and a pleasant smile.<p>

"Jasper?" I rasped, trying to sound polite. "What are you doing here?"

"Breakfast is almost finished, and we've been wondering when you both were going to wake up." He told me.

I rubbed my eyes as I sighed. "It's been a long night. We probably just went to sleep a couple of hours ago. Edvard & I will be heading out to the kingdom I came from later. Just pack some breakfast for us to enjoy once we wake, will you?" I asked.

"Of course, Liselotte." He replied. "Have a good rest."

"Thank you." I said before closing the door. I walked back to my makeshift bed and continued sleeping for a little bit until Jasper came to hand me a basket of food. I then took a shower and woke Edward up, who seemed a little groggy.

"What time is it?" He asked.

"In the middle of morning. Come on, we've got to have our breakfast before we go." I nudged him. He sat up from the bed, his eyelids heavy from sleep as he stood up and stretched, giving me an eyeful of his chiseled abdomen muscles. He then walked out of the bedroom and I was left alone to brush my hair in front of the mirror.

I then proceeded to unpack the breakfast from the basket Jasper gave to me in the dining room and Edward came in wearing a fresh set of clothes. We had breakfast quietly until Edward spoke up.

"How are your parents like?"

I froze. "I, uh... I don't know. It all just depends on the mood, I guess." I fumbled over my words as I didn't know how to answer that. I wasn't sure if Renée and Charlie had the same personality as their present selves. When I had first come to Scandinavia in this era, I had never even met my parents. The only relative I had met was Jane, whose name was Johanna in this life.

"The breakfast was uh, brought by Jasper." I changed the subject. "He said that the food was almost finishing and I told him to bring some food for us."

Edward closed his eyes slowly, as if he just remembered something. "I need to tell the men that we aren't doing anything today." He said. "I can't necessarily bring them along to your castle, or else your kingdom might see it as a threat."

"So we're the only two going?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes."

I grimaced on the inside. This wasn't something I was looking forward to. I thought that I'd have it the easy way— never meeting my parents and just running away to another country with Edward, but now that my parents' inevitable judgment towards him was coming, I felt like this trip was something I was going to regret.

* * *

><p>A large stone-stacked castle came into our view as our horses galloped towards it, and I presumed that this was the castle my previous self lived in. Gardens of bountiful blooming flowers surrounded the fortress itself. A long red carpet was laid out on castle grounds in front of the huge wooden doors decked out with black metal. People were standing by the sides of the carpet with their heads bowed down in respect. I recognized a few people from my present-day life that were there.<p>

Edward got off his gray-spotted horse whom I found out her name was Svetlana then helped me down from Fenrisúlfr. I looked at the other end of the carpet and saw my parents standing there. I didn't know how to feel, but Edward nudged me and we walked down the carpet towards my parents.

I felt awkward as I walked. I kept on touching the silver bindings of my headband nervously as we approached my parents, whose faces were unreadable. I didn't know what they were thinking about. We stopped in front of them and I was taken aback by Renée's actions.

She hugged me tightly and I frowned a little, but then leaned into her touch. She pulled away. "Don't you dare run away again! Your father said you were at the outskirts of Sweden! Do you know how worried I was?"

"I'm sorry." I just said.

She sighed. "I'm just glad you're home."

"We have not properly introduced ourselves," Charlie spoke up as he eyed Edward. "I'm King Karl of Sweden and this is my wife Queen Renée of France."

Edward bowed in respect. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness."

"Oh," Renée gasped in surprise as she realized Edward was standing next to me. "Who is this young chap?"

"This is the Prince of the Russian Empire, Edvard, Tsarevich of Russia." Charlie told her.

"And what are you doing with my daughter, Edvard?" Renée questioned further.

"Actually, I kind of stumbled upon him the other day," I started. "I didn't have a place to stay and so he offered his temporary place."

Edward stifled a laugh as I adjusted the truth a little.

"And so...?" She prompted.

Edvard cleared his throat. "Something... developed. My feelings developed towards her and I ask for her hand in marriage."

Renee's eyes went wide in disbelief. She looked between me and Edward and then at her husband. "Did I just hear him correctly?"

"I know what he said since he asked back at the outskirts of the kingdom, but I wanted to hear your opinion before I give my blessings." Charlie told her gently.

She clapped her hands together excitedly. "Of course I accept Edvard's request for Liselotte's hand in marriage! He's very handsome and is a prince of one of the biggest empires in Europe!" She gushed to Charlie, as if Edward & I weren't there.

Edward smirked a little at her thoughts about him and I rolled my eyes. "You're too smug for your own good." I whispered.

"At least I have a reason to," he replied.

"Oh," Renée's expression faltered suddenly, "Liselotte, do you want to marry him? I don't want a repeat of what happened on the morning of your supposed wedding."

I remembered Jane telling me that I ran away the moment I was on the aisle. At least I knew what happened. I placed a hand on her arm. "Don't worry, I want to marry him." I reassured her. "The genes of my future children will be in safe hands." I joked.

* * *

><p>I was escorted to my own chamber that had a much bigger bed than the one back in the village while Edward was shown to the guest chambers. I didn't know what else to do as I was left alone, so I decided to sleep my eye bags off since I only had two hours of sleep this morning due to the interruption my father gave and the fact that I was cleaning Edward's wounds.<p>

I was awoken for dinner and I quickly got off the bed. My stomach was grumbling like crazy since the last time I ate was during breakfast this morning. Edward & I rode on our horses non-stop since we didn't want to waste anymore time. I walked down the large halls lit up with candles hung on the stone walls and I found Edward on the way to the dining hall too.

"Hey," I smiled and grabbed him into a hug. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." He admitted. "What did you do in your chamber?"

"I slept," I shrugged. "No big deal."

"I slept too. Well, I didn't know how enthusiastic your parents could be about our future union." He chuckled softly.

"I'm pretty sure I'm of age to be married off." I told him, holding one side of his face as I looked into his green eyes. I leaned towards his face and kissed him, my hands finding their way to his hair. He responded by wrapping his arms around the small of my back, pulling me closer to him. Our kisses became open-mouthed and heated with passion I got lost in until Edward pulled away.

"We have a dinner to attend." He reminded gently.

I sighed blissfully, the side of my head on his chest as I heard his heart beat fast from the adrenaline of the kiss. "I don't really care about the dinner."

"Bella," he warned.

"I know, I know. It's to celebrate the fact that you and I are getting married." I spoke his thoughts.

"And so we should at least show up as a sign of respect." He said. "Come on."

We arrived at the dining hall together and took the only empty seats that were next to each other. The rest of the table was filled with other relatives I remembered from my present-day life and my parents who sat at either ends of the table. Everyone looked up at us and gave us a welcoming smile.

We all then recited a prayer and made a toast to our future marriage and my return to the castle. Edward & I shared a look about that part. Dinner was quiet but comfortable as we ate the food gratefully. I was cutting a part of the roasted duck on my plate when I noticed from my peripheral vision that something was wrong.

A guard came running into the hall and bowed before whispering something in Charlie's ear. I frowned at that and my head snapped up to the doors of the hall that just opened.

A guy about my age came through the doors and by the way he dressed, he was definitely a royal. He had tanned skin and was very tall; around Emmett's height. He had short black hair and dark brown eyes and was quite handsome. He looked absolutely familiar, which then made something in me click; this man was the son of Charlie's best friend in my present-day life, Jacob Black. I was a little befuddled about why he was here until I heard his next words.

"I am Prince Jakob of Norway and I am here to claim my bride."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So I apologize for the late update. Again. Kyrandiana gave me a little reminder so thank you (again). I have my reasons for not updating, and one of them is TAYLOR'S ALBUM I'M CRYING SO HARD. Oh, and the Blank Space music video and the two new official apps released by Taylor herself. Yes, this fandom is very happening now. The music video for Blank Space has got to be my favorite so far since Taylor becomes a serial killer because our fandom has been waiting for Creepy Taylor to show. Now it all feels like a dream.**

**Anyways, after I just had my Reign marathon less than ten hours ago (BECAUSE REIGN IS SO GOOD), it kind of gave me a little inspiration and it had fit into the story line so well. I loooooveeee the show and the dresses in it, I swear. **

**xx**

* * *

><p>"Is this for real?!" I whispered harshly.<p>

Edward looked at me, frowning. "This is the man who you were supposed to marry?"

"I think so," I replied, grimacing. "Okay, I'm gonna hide... somewhere. Tell everyone I left for the bathroom!"

I slipped under the table when no one else was looking and was careful not to touch anyone's feet. I crouched in an uncomfortable manner and tried my best to not hit my head against the top of the table.

"Where did Liselotte go?" My father asked.

"She went to take a bathroom break ten minutes ago." Edward smoothly replied.

There was a moment of silence until I saw Charlie's chair move to the back and he left it, walking towards Jacob. "I need to talk to you for a moment." He said and then the doors opened, making them disappear into the hallway.

I heaved a sigh and was about to come up again when my mother stood up too. "Edvard, tell my daughter to see me in my chamber once she comes back."

Edward nodded and she left. I finally came up and had my eyes wide in shock. "What the hell just happened?"

"I don't know, but there's something about this boy. I'm not letting you out of my sight until he gets out of the castle." He said before standing up. "Come on."

I followed him and left the dining hall with him. I held his hand as we walked and he gripped mine back.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Your father had a talk with me before I was shown to the guest chamber in an empty chamber. I think him and that Jakob boy is there."

"So what are we going to do? Eavesdrop?" I looked at him as we picked up the pace.

"There's just something about him... I can't put my finger on it." He replied. "But I know there's something up."

He slowed down when we walked down a certain hallway and stopped at the only door there. I looked through the keyhole and could see two figures— one sitting and one standing.

My father and Jacob were there in the room, my father sitting on a velvet chair and Jacob was pacing back and forth, looking very bemused by something.

"So Liselotte won't marry me because she doesn't know who I am?" He asked Charlie.

He replied with a nod. "She ran away so that the marriage ceremony wouldn't happen, and that was how desperate she was to get out of the situation. Now that she has found someone else to marry who's suitable, I gave her and her future husband my blessings."

"And who is this future husband of hers? Why would you let her marry him and not me? I came to you first for her hand and—"

"She's clearly happier with him, since she has the choice of choosing. Lucky for her, her fiancé is a prince." Charlie told him, interrupting his words.

"A prince of what country? Is his country offering a reliable alliance? How strong is this country? You never thought of that, did you?" Jacob snapped, unhappy.

"I didn't need to think about it," Charlie sounded exasperated, standing up from his seat. "Her future husband is the Tsarevich of the Russian Empire, and his country will be a true reliability. Now if you would please leave the castle, you would be doing us a favor."

Jacob bared his teeth at my father, looking crazed and animalistic at the same time. "You are going to regret this. Sweden will crumble to the ground, and you'll be the first target. Wait until I get my hands on Liselotte."

He trudged towards the chamber doors and Edward & I ran towards the next hallway as fast as we could. We hid behind a wall as we heard footsteps getting further away from us. I heaved a sigh of relief, but I couldn't stop thinking about what Jacob had said.

_Sweden will crumble to the ground, and you'll be the first target. Wait until I get my hands on Liselotte._

"Edvard?" I whimpered. "He's going to ruin us all. He's going to have me."

Edward pulled me into his arms in a comforting embrace. "No. No, I won't let him have you. My empire has lots of companies, ships and skilled warriors. We'll be safe, I promise you." He took my face into his hands as he looked into my eyes.

"We have to do something about this. He'll probably strike Sweden as soon as he can. Even with my mother ruling over France, it won't be enough for the war. My countries are powerful, but I'm scared." I admitted.

"Bella," he coaxed with his soothing voice. "Bella, look at me. You don't have to be scared. You have me. You have me now."

"We have to go to my parents now. We have to get them and decide what's our next move. If he threatens us, we will respond with force." I said. "I won't let my own family's empire spiral downwards because of me."

* * *

><p>"Just how powerful is Norway, Father?" I asked seriously. "What are his chances of taking us down? Does the King of Norway even know of his son's intentions to ruin their neighboring country?"<p>

"I'm afraid the whole objective of the union for them was to obtain France & Sweden under their rule once Jakob becomes King, but now that the union is not going to happen, Norway is expected to be unhappy." He replied, his fingers pinching at his chin repeatedly as he went deep into thought. "Norway is bigger than us in terms of area, but they're also made up of islands like we are. I've seen how strong their men are, but I don't think they will go to war at us without an ally. They're the closest to Denmark. They will attack once everyone has gathered."

"No, they'll try to close up on our borders and trap us. They will corner us and we will become their first countries in their newfound empire." My mother said. "I will get my troops from France to come here, but for now, I will have them on standby. I still need some to protect France too, just in case other enemies see it as a moment of weakness and try to invade France."

"I will offer my soldiers to Sweden & France. I've got a lot to spare, so I'll get them to secure the borders of both countries." Edward said. "I will provide gun powder, swords, anything you need."

"It won't be safe for me to stay here, so Edvard & I will have to leave to Russia as soon as possible. Tomorrow, if we can." I told them. "And with our Norwegian diplomats within the castle walls, we need to be careful. Double up the security and don't let anyone— including the servants or kitchen people to lurk outside of the fortress grounds since there might be some Norwegian spies trying it provoke us within our castle grounds. We don't want to lose anymore lives of the Swedish people on our own soil. Anyone suspicious enough to be a spy for Norway must be interrogated."

"That's all for today, then." Charlie nodded.

"Good," my mother said. "I plan to retire to bed now."

Edward & I bowed in respect as she left for her chambers.

Was this really how preparing for war was supposed to be like and not just glory and gore like how movies portrayed them to be? For the first time, I realized that I had power. I was a royal in this life, and I had to think about all the people's lives at stake. A life lost was too much, and with my power, I could play politician. I had to negotiate and protect what was my empire's best interests. I didn't only have one country that would be under my rule when I was Queen— I also had France, inherited from my mother. I was also the only child, so I couldn't hand my responsibilities to someone else whom I didn't know.

I then left for my own chambers and looked out of the window with a candlelight in my hand. I heard a distinct hiss that sounded like it came from a cat, I looked down at the snow-clad grass.

I recognized the breed immediately since I remembered my mother talking about her childhood pet, which was a cat from the exact same breed. It was a Norwegian Forest cat, with its big build that was bigger than an average cat, long body and legs and a furry tail, reminding me of a feather duster. It had a long, thick white furcoat that almost blended in with the snow.

I ran down the castle, wanting to see the cat upclose. I walked out of the castle doors quietly, since I didn't want to startle the cat. The guards protecting the outside of the castle gave me a weird look.

I saw that the cat was hunting mice, jumping all over to capture it. When it caught the mice, it just gobbled it up and looked up at me. It walked towards me and purred loudly, pushing its head on my leg with its tail up.

I carried it up in my arms and brought it back to my chamber and requested for milk from one of the servants. When it came, I fed it to the cat and played with it.

"God, you're so cute," I muttered. "You need a name now. How about Lyov?"

The cat continued playing with the feather I attached to a ribbon that I found. I was just glad that I had a distraction from the whole war impending on my country.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Greetings from me! Ugh, so I know Thanksgiving has passed but my stomach still feels full from the roasted honey turkey my family had. Or maybe it's from all the spicy cheese Doritos I've been having. I don't know.**

**So seriously, don't kill me when you've finished reading this chapter, but you all will probably want to kill me anyways. *rolls eyes***

**xx**

* * *

><p>I woke up to Lyov sleeping on top of my face, and I couldn't breathe so I reluctantly pushed his fluffy white body off of my face. He didn't screech, but he just yawned and stretched, his tail wagging on my face.<p>

"Lyov!" I groaned, covering my face. I sat up and he curled up on my lap but didn't sleep. He looked at me with his big almond eyes that I couldn't resist. I smiled.

There were knocks on the doors and I jolted up. There in front of me was my handmaiden whose name I didn't know.

She bowed to me. "Your Serene Highness, the Russian Tsarevich wants to talk to you. He's outside now."

I nodded. "Bring him in."

Edward came in and sat beside me on my bed, giving me his signature crooked smile. He didn't say hello, but he just gave me a chaste kiss on my lips.

"Good morning to you too," I told him. "What are you doing here?"

"Just wanted to check up on you. Who's this?" He asked, looking at the cat in my lap.

"This is Lyov. I just got him, so he's pretty new." I replied. "Have you packed?"

He nodded. "We need to gather the men first before we can head back to Russia." He said, then smiled. "You're going to love Russia. It has lots of snow like Scandinavia, but it lasts longer than here. We have a big palace too, and we'll have the East wing all to ourselves. We can do whatever we want there."

I leaned in to kiss his jaw. "That sounds perfect." I nibbled on the growing scruff on his face, smiling. "It's lovely."

Lyov jumped off my lap, probably knowing that I was going to pull Edward down onto the bed. I kissed him hard as he was over me, his hand supporting my back.

"Bella...," he whispered as he gathered my hair to my left shoulder to kiss my right. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." I replied immediately when I heard him say that. I didn't know how long I had waited. It had been a few days, but I'd known him forever.

He pulled away and gave me my favorite crooked smile. "Thank you for saying that." He told me. He kissed my cheek one last time before sitting up again.

I grinned. "Whatever. Anyways, get out. I need to get ready."

* * *

><p>"Come on, Lyov," I snapped my fingers. "Time to go."<p>

I had folded the last dress of mine from my wardrobe into my bags and was about to open the door when my handmaiden came in with what looked like a wedding dress. My eyes widened.

"Your Highness, the Queen requests that you wear this." She bowed.

"Why?" I asked.

"She says that when you're married in Russia, her and the King cannot come for the ceremony as they need to take care of the castle. She asks for a private marriage ceremony here to be held before you go, then you can have a second marriage ceremony in Russia with the Tsarevich's family." She explained, still not meeting my eyes.

My mother's reason was actually understandable, seeing that now the castle could be under attack by Norway anytime and that if my father and mother left the castle for the ceremony, it would mean that the castle will be at a higher risk of attack.

I nodded. "Uhm, alright."

I removed my dress and my handmaiden helped me into the wedding dress that my mother had prepared for me.

It was similar to the one I woke up in when I first time-traveled to here, with its super-long sleeves, but there was lace adorned around the chest area and at the back. The dress hugged my curves perfectly.

My handmaiden then picked out one of the tiaras that were on the shelves of my chamber and placed it on my head, together with the veil.

"The Queen apologizes for the last-minute plans," she told me.

"That's alright. I get why she wants this before I leave." I smiled then took a deep breath.

She smiled back in return and led me to the throne room where my father was waiting for me.

"Liselotte," he started, "you look absolutely beautiful."

"Great that you think of me that way," I smiled. "It only took a couple of minutes to get ready."

"Your mother just wants to see the whole thing before you both go." He kissed my cheek and then hooked his arm around mine. "Let's go in."

"Wait, Father," I paused. "So this means this is an actual wedding, then?"

"Yes, but maybe you shouldn't mention that to Edvard's family when you arrive in Russia." He chuckled.

The doors opened and there wasn't even music playing. My mother was the only one that sat on the bench and she stood, looking at me with teary eyes.

This was my second time walking down the aisle to get married to Edward, but the feeling had never faded away.

He was wearing what I saw him in on the first day I met him in this life— the red suit. I wanted to walk faster, but my father was holding me back. He gave me looks that made me cringe. Once we arrived at the end of the aisle, Charlie handed my hand over to Edward's and I couldn't help but smile.

"Let me guess— you also got the news of the wedding last minute?" I asked.

Edward shrugged. "Well, yes."

I laughed. "I was about to leave and meet you in the hallway when my handmaiden told me about it."

The priest in front of us cleared his throat and I flushed red, forgetting that there was someone watching us. When he thought that it was clear to continue, he continued on with the ceremony and it was all pretty much just like what I remembered back in 1918, but this one was also quite different. For one, the only witnesses were my parents.

"Do you, Tsarevich Edvard of Russia, take Princess Liselotte of Sweden to be your wife?"

Edward's eyes were fixated on mine and I smiled. "I do."

"Do you, Princess Liselotte of Sweden, take Tsarevich Edvard of Russia as your husband?"

"I do." I immediately said.

"Tsarevich, if you can repeat after me," the priest looked at Edward. "I, Tsarevich Edvard of Russia..."

Edward held my hand as he repeated, "I, Tsarevich Edvard of Russia..."

"... Take you, Princess Liselotte of Sweden..."

He smiled wider as his hands gripped tighter on mine. "Take you, Princess Liselotte of Sweden... to be my wife... to have and to hold from this day forward... for better or for worse... for richer, for poorer... in sickness and in health... to love and to cherish... until death do us part."

I gulped, ready to repeat after the priest. "I, Princess Liselotte of Sweden, take you, Tsarevich Edvard of Russia to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish..."

The words _until death do us part_ got stuck in my throat, and I suddenly saw images of Edward lying on our bed, cold and blue back in Chicago, 1918. I remembered the tears that clogged up my eyes and the cold lips I kissed before giving him away to get him ready for his own funeral. I remembered free-falling into the Chicago River and the articles on my mysterious death and Edward's.

A new batch of images flashed across my eyes fast. I saw myself in the middle of a battlefield with dead bodies of soldiers lying around as I cradled one in my arms.

Edward's.

His was pale and bloodied, especially at his abdomen. I watched myself as I touched the deep wound and he was whispering a few words to me that I didn't catch, his hand on my cheek then on my swollen and heavily pregnant stomach. I watched as his soul withered away from his body.

"Bella?" Edward pulled me out of the mental images that distracted me, his fingers lacing with mine. He gave me a worried look. "Are you okay?"

"Where was I?" I asked.

"Until death do us part."

I smiled uneasily as I continued my vows. "To love and to cherish until death do us part."

I realized that the phrase _until death do us part_ was most possibly the truest words of the vows.


End file.
